Sunday, March 28, 2010

I was talking with my boyfriend the other night who happens to work in Saudi Arabia and asked him what he was having for lunch.Chicken sandwich with corchorus.Corchorus??He seemed surprised that I did not know what this was.At first I thought he meant cornichons(a kind of pickle)and had misspelled the word but no, he said it looks like spinach.So after much searching, I realized he was talking about a green, leafy vegetable known as melokhia.

Melokhia (corchorus olitoris) is a green,leafy vegetable that is popular in Egypt and countries of the Levant.It is known by several names and spellings such as Jews mallow, mlookheeyeh,mlukhiyya,mulukhiyya,melokheya and of course corchorus.Melokhia is also the name of the national dish of Egypt, a soup that is extremely popular today as was during pharoanic times.Melokhia is also used as a sauce spooned over rice and chicken.

Melokhia is an acquired taste.It tastes like bitter spinach or sorrel when cooked and develops a mucilaginous and viscous texture, like okra. Melokhia requires short cooking time.Because of its mucilaginous texture, the leaves will remain "suspended" in the stock, once they sink to the bottom of the pot, it is overcooked.Melokhia is normally sold fresh in the Middle East but elsewhere is available dried,frozen, or canned from Middle Eastern grocers.

1. If using fresh melokhia,cut into small pieces and rinse with cold water and set aside. If using frozen, thaw melokhia in cool water,remove and set aside.2.In a large saucepan, heat the stock and bring to a boil.Stir in the melokhia and simmer for 25 minutes.3.Meanwhile, in a small pan heat the ghee and add the crushed garlic and fry till slightly brown.Stir in the coriander and red peeper and mix to form a paste.4.Add the coriander-red pepper paste to the soup and simmer for a while longer (5 minutes).Add salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.

About Me

I've always had a love of food and cookery especially Middle Eastern and Arabic Gulf food.I started studying nutrition but chemistry was never my thing so now I'm in the process of becoming a personal chef.I just love learning all there is to know about food and its culture whether trying out new recipes,experimenting with unusual ingredients,or trying a new twist on a classic recipe.I think exploring different foods should be fun which is why I have started this blog to share my love of arabic/middle eastern food with you.

Subscribe To

Subscribe via email

BlogCatalog

Blog Top Sites

FEEDJIT Live Traffic Feed

Copyright

If you wish to feature my work in your blog, website, or teaching materials, please feel free but 1.let me know and 2. reference the work to me or this blog.All writing and photography in this entire site , unless otherwise recognized as coming from another source is copyrighted by the blog admin Cecilia Miranda